Wednesday, January 13th was our first Green Salon Meetup Event. This is a chance for designers to talk about what sustainable design means to them. A member of the AIGA Portland Green Team, Martha Koenig, attended the lunch and these are her observations.

Sustainable Design (and what the heck does that mean) Lunch Observations

BY MARTHA KOENIG (twitter.com/Martha_Koenig)

Today I attended AIGA's first Green Salon Meetup at the SE Lucky Lab, along with 15 other people interested in sustainable design. Even though the lunch invited designers, it was a positive surprise that a broader scope of professionals appeared, which seemed beneficial to the conversation (since sustainable design doesn't work so well in a vacuum). The range included: print and web designers, a fashion designer (interested in making fashion inclusive not exclusive), marketers, a photographer, a print producer, and even a spacial relations "architect" between humans and objects.

Here are some of the thoughts* that were contributed about sustainable design, and beyond:

• Sustainable design includes consuming less, not just the types of supplies we use.
• Responsibility of the designer is how to distribute the message to the right audiences without all the ephemera.
• Rethink the press sheet - can you fit more? Redesign to save resources? Don't print it at all?
• Sustainability could be viewed as Pragmatism, or just common sense.
• What's the full impact of an item? Also consider the full chain of sustainability.
• If you can't communicate as a designer, are you really a designer?
• Are we, as designers, in the consultancy business, or do we only design? Both!
• Projects become much bigger when we have to educate instead of only execute. (How/if do you charge?)
• The word "conservative" has been misused.
• Can advertising go back to being sponsorship (like the days of old school radio), supporting value-driven stories?
• Do you only work for clients you agree with, or sign-on to "The Bad Guys" to make them a little better?
• Heirlooms vs. Disposables
• No one wants to be preached at. Leading by example can be very powerful.
• Our DNA is programmed to consume. Is this due to success being defined by material objects?
• We can't separate sustainable design professionally from personal life style - it encompasses all aspects.
• What about people who don't have the time/money to learn about sustainability?
• What about e-waste? (Giving that broken computer doesn't really help. Try Free Geek instead!)
• "Don’t design me a new iPhone, figure out how to make my old one last." - Saul Griffith
• Normalize sustainability in mass media.

Recommending readings and viewings from the group:

• Green Marketing Manifesto by John Grant [book] [quick video]
• Green Graphic Design by Brian Dougherty of Celery Design
• Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
• 2009 Compostmodern videos including Allan Chochinov of Core 77, Saul Griffith, and Emily Pilloton
• The Unbearable Whiteness of Green article by Van Jones

We obviously didn't save the world in 1 1/2 hours (or intend to), but I know I was inspired to continue down this path, and hope others were too. Thanks to Travis Fulton for moderating, and to everyone who came. And next time, I'm going to try to remember bringing a tupperware for leftovers. Doh.

*These are thoughts from the lunch attendees, and do not necessarily express the views of AIGA.

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE DISCUSSION? These lunches are held quarterly. Also, if you have a 5-minute idea/observation/tip you'd like to share, submit it to SHIFT, where 10 presenters share their sustainable design thoughts followed by Q&A, mingling, and free beer!